Arabi Food Store
Anecdotes & Analysis
The Arabi Food Store is celebrating its fortieth year in business. It has never been better or busier. In the long run, the Katrina disaster--which wiped out every family dwelling except one in all of St. Bernard Parish--has been an economic engine as, reconstruction goes on too slowly but very steadily. Both the workers and their customers love the Arabi Food Store for bringing the eating side of the recovery home early.
Backstory
The oldest part of St. Bernard Parish, Arabi is on the river just over the Orleans Parish line. Almost two hundred years ago, it became the logical frontier for the expansion of New Orleans. The Arabi Food Store is in the historic center of Arabi, in a building that's around a century old. Its longtime owner Elliot Gaspard got into the neighborhood grocery business in 1953, moving from one to another until he bought the present store in 1973. He passed in 2004, with the next generation if his family still operating the store.
Dining Room
The restaurant is a block river side of St. Claude Avenue at the corner of Friscoville and Royal. It still looks like a corner grocery on the outside, but inside it's a classic neighborhood cafe, the colorful plastic tablecloths defending the tables from roast beef gravy.
Why It's Essential
The name is misleading, but tells a familiar story. Many great sandwich shops around New Orleans began as neighborhood grocery stores with delis that produced sandwiches as a sideline. As supermarkets made it harder for corner groceries to survive, they evolved into inexpensive neighborhood eateries. The Arabi Food Store is a classic example of this, with excellent everyday sandwiches and a few platters.
Why It's Good
The place opens for a simple but good workingman's breakfast. The joint starts jumping as the noon hour approaches, and the aromas of roast beef gravy and frying seafood fill the air. Those two specialties get the most attention, along with one of the most generous muffulettas around. A few daily platters from the red-beans catalog complete the menu. It's all made in house and cooked to order.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Breakfast</strong></em><br /> Breakfast sandwiches (with eggs, meat, or both)<br /> Steak & eggs, onions, secret sauce, cheese<br /> Biscuits or burritos, butter, ham, bacon, sausage, cheese, and/or eggs<br /> »Standard breakfast combos<br /> Grilled or breaded pork chop & eggs<br /> Buttermilk pancakes<br /> »Omelettes to order<br /> Chopped steak & egg omelette<br /> <br /> <em><strong>Starters and sides</strong></em><br /> Cheese sticks<br /> Baked macaroni<br /> Potato salad<br /> »Onion rings<br /> French fries<br /> Chili cheese fries<br /> Sweet potato fries<br /> Lettuce & tomato salad<br /> Chef salad<br /> Grilled or fried chicken or shrimp salad<br /> Tuna or chicken salad, bed of lettuce<br /> <br /> <em><strong>Lunch & early dinner daily specials</strong></em><br /> »MO--Red or white beans, rice, smoked or hot sausage, or grilled or breaded pork chop<br /> »TU--Hamburger steak or chicken fried steak<br /> WE--Lasagna<br /> »TH--Shrimp-stuffed bell peppers, baked macaroni<br /> FR--Shrimp, chicken or sausage Creole, rice<br /> »Shrimp, chicken & sausage gumbo<br /> <br /> <em><strong>Lunch & early dinner everyday entrees</strong></em><br /> »Fried chicken<br /> Chicken strips<br /> Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes<br /> Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes<br /> Chicken (grilled or breaded), mashed potatoes<br /> Chicken cordon bleu (grilled or breaded)<br /> Pork chop (grilled or breaded), macaroni<br /> Meatball & spaghetti<br /> Veal or chicken parmesan, pasta<br /> »Fried shrimp and/or catfish, fries, potato salad<br /> »Fried oysters dinner, fries, potato salad<br /> »Fried shrimp, catfish & oysters, fries, potato salad<br /> Crab cakes, fries, potato salad<br /> <br /> <em><strong>Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> »»Roast beef poor boy<br /> »Barbecue beef poor boy<br /> Ham poor boy<br /> »Meatball & red gravy poor boy<br /> »Hot, smoked or Italian sausage poor boy<br /> Pork chop (grilled or breaded) poor boy<br /> Hot dog poor boy (or bun)<br /> Chicken (grilled or breaded) poor boy<br /> Chicken cordon bleu (grilled or breaded) poor boy<br /> Veal cutlet poor boy<br /> Philly cheese steak poor boy<br /> Chicken fried steak poor boy<br /> Kelly’s potato & gravy poor boy<br /> <em>Other sandwiches:</em><br /> Tuna salad<br /> Chicken salad, <br /> Shrimp salad<br /> Club<br /> Turkey<br /> Luncheon meat<br /> Cotto salami<br /> »Fried, shrimp, catfish or oysters<br /> Crab cakes<br /> »»Muffuletta<br /> Seafood muffuletta (shrimp, catfish, oyster)<br /> Hamburgers<br /> »Hotsy burger<br /> <em><strong>Wraps (with lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing)</strong></em><br /> New Orleans fried or grilled chicken wrap<br /> Arabi club wrap (turkey & ham)<br /> Louisiana fried or grilled shrimp wrap<br /> <em><strong>Dessert</strong></em> »Bread pudding
Deficiencies
Everything's served on disposable plates.
For Best Results
Only a longshoreman could finish a poor boy here, and a lot of them do. Plan on getting two meals out of almost anything you order here. Know that they close early on Wednesday (2 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m.). Otherwise, they stay open until around 6 p.m.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
2
Local Color
3
Value